Melodic Mondays/favorite Christmas memories

I sang in choir all four years of college. The Christmas Concert was a huge production--four choirs plus the orchestra, everything from memory, exact choreography for choirs moving from in the audience to up front and changing places; four home concerts and two in another city. It was (and still is) recorded and played around the country on a PBS station near you. We were highly trained, and if you fell out of line, Gordon would come and tell you never to touch your face again :)

My senior year I was in the Concert choir--one of the last one picked, but in it nonetheless. The Concert Choir started on stage---everyone else was stationed around the perimeter (my first year I passed out standing in the aisle waiting to start...another story :)). The other choirs processed to the front during the first congregational hymn, Oh come, all ye faithful. That is also when they let the latecomers come in.

At the early (5:30) on-the-road show, they opened the doors for the latecomers as we hit the chorus: it was as if they had heard us beckoning them to come and adore him. I still get choked up every time we sing the song:


O come, all ye faithful,
Joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem;
Come and behold him
Born the King of angels;

Chorus:
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord.

God of God, Light of Light;
Lo, he abhors not the Virgin's womb:
Very God, Begotten, not created;

Chorus

Sing, choirs of angels;
Sing in exultation,
Sing, all ye citizens of heaven above;
Glory to God in the highest;

Chorus

Yea, Lord, we greet thee,
Born this happy morning:
Jesus, to thee be glory given;
Word of the Father,
Late in flesh appearing;

Chorus